There was a table at a pre-CES event tonight that was basically some circuit boards and some girls drinking wine. Naturally, I walked over.
Technology company RAMBUS had a bunch of fancy consumer electronics busted open for all to see so that they might show off their handiwork. One of the devices they worked on was Sony’s PS3, as seen above and in our gallery. Being able to tell that I didn’t know quite what I was looking at, one of the reps pointed out some of the chipset groups on the PS3 boards.
It’s easy to notice that one block of chips is missing from the newer, smaller board of the PS3 ‘slim’ system. You and I know what that is: the PS2 guts. RAMBUS wine girl told me that the circled area above is basically the PS2 hardware chipset, right on board. She said that they killed backwards compatibility by basically just ripping that part right out.
Just like my heart, I told her. Just like my heart.